Server or dispenser



Aug. 24, 1943. R. BERNHARDT SERVER OR DISPENSER.

Filed May 4, 1940 Patented Aug. 24, 1943 a Y 2,327,61F

3 Claims.

This invention relates to servers or dispensers such as syrup pitchersor the like, having springpressed closures or slides for closing thespouts and is particularly directed to means associated with the slidesfor opening the sameand for providing abutments for the closure springs;

Heretofore devices of this kind have been pro-f posed or used in whichthe slide is [provided with a button riveted or otherwise attachedthereto to provide a finger or thumb piece and other means provided onthe slide for engagement with the spring.

The thumb piece or actuating member I is preferably made substantiallyas shown in Figure 4, and includes a longitudinal strip or tongue [6which is adapted to fit in the recess l3, and a thumb piece II whichextends upwardly through the slot l4, and which has a substantiallycircumferential. flange portion [8. The

lower edges l9 of the flange or thumb portion In accordance withthepresent invention I pro- 7 vide a combined thumb piece and springabutment or retainer which may be readily applied to the slide and willremain in operative position without being rigidly secured thereto.

In general the objects of the present invention 1:

are to provide an improved slide or closure blade for containers, havinga combined thumb piece and spring engaging member detachably engagingtherewith; to provide a novel thumb piece for a server cut-off orclosure blade; to provide a combined thumb piece and spring abutmentwhich may be readily and cheaply made and easily applied to the blade;and to provide such other advantages and improvements as will ap pearmore fully hereinafter.

. In the accompanying drawing illustrating this invention,

Figure 1 is a side view of the top portion of a.

pitcher or'server embodying this invention; v

Figure 2 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the thumbpiece member; and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the slide or blade. L f As shown inthe drawing, 6 indicates any suitable container having a cap or top 1provided with a handle 8'. The cap has a pouring spout, 9 on the sideopposite from the handle and has a guideway 5 for receiving and guidinga cut-01f slide or closure .blade l8, preferably of the form shown inFigure 5. This blade is held'in operative position by means of buttonsorretainers I I.

The blade Ill-has a longitudinal embossment or raised portion 12providing a bearing or recess engage with thetop surface of the bladewhen in operative position and extend slightly beyond the ends of theslot M. The forward end of the tongue [6 is bent downwardly or atsubstantially rightangles to provide a projection or abutment 20 whichis engaged by one end of an operating spring 2| as shown in Figure 2.This spring is mounted in a channel 22 in the cap or cover I which ispreferably made of plastic material with the'channelformed integrallytherein. The upposite end of the spring engages with an abutment 23forming one end of the channel. The cap may also be provided with a vent24 which is located adjacent the rear end of the channel.

It will be readily seen that the blades I6) and.

the operating members maybe easily stamped from sheet metal and. made ata very. low cost.

5 When the parts are to be assembled theprojec- When thus assembled thespring engages with the projection or abutment and tends to urge holdsthe operating I3 on the inner side thereof. The embossment' is alsoprovided with a transverse slot. I spositioned at some distance from theforward end thereof as shown in Figure-5.

tion or abutment 20 and the tongue [5 are in- .serted in the slot l4 andthen swung up to operative position as shown in Figure 2, with theshoulders is resting on the top of the slide. The tongue and the springare then assembled in position in the cap or top as shown-in- Figure 2.

the slide or blade H! to closed position, and also member I5 in itsoperating position.

When the server is to be used the operator will ordinarily grasp thehandle 8 with the thumb against the thumb piece I! and press back on thethumb piece to openthe slide to permit the contents to pass out thespout. When the thumb is removed the slide will be returned to closedposition by means of the spring; r 1

7 .While I have shown my improved operating member or thumb piece asapplied to a particu- V lar form of slide, it isapparent that thesepartsI may be modified or, made of different shapes for other forms ofserversand therefore I do not wish to be limited to the particularconstruction herein shown and described except as specifled intheifollowing claims, in which I claim:

I 1. In combination, a spout closure blade having V i a longitudinalembossment providing arecess on the lower side thereofand havinga-transverse slot in the embossed portion, an operating member having anarrow strip adapted to be inserted through the slot and having one endbent to form an abutment for a spring, the opposite end of the memberextending upwardly and having a flanged portion with its lower edgeresting on the blade and tending to hold said portion at right angles tothe blade. 7

2. A container of the character set forth, having a cap-with a spout atone side thereof and having a guideway in the upper surface in alignmentwith the spout, and a channel extendin longitudinally of the guideway, acut-01f blade slidably mounted in the guideway, means for holding theblade in the guideway, a blade operating member having one portionextending through the blade into said channel and providing an abutmentfor one end of a spring, a spring interposed between the abutment andthe opposite end of the channel, said operating memben H also extendingupwardly from the blade and providing a thumb piece for'moving the bladeto open position.

3, The combination with a container having a cap provided with a spout,of a blade slidab'Iy:--' mounted on the cap i'oropening and closingthv"spout, said blade having a transverse slot therein,

an actuating member-havinga thumb piece exj tending upwardly through theslot, and also havj ing a tongue at right angles to the thumb piece jengaging with the lower surface of the blade, the end of the tonguebeing bent downwardly at 'substantially right angles to the blade, and aspring coacting with the cap and the downwardly b'ent endofv the tonguetending to urge the blade! to a closing position.

RUDOLPH BERNHARDT;

